"Two Views of the River"

"Two Views of the River" by Mark Twain is a memoir that has many Realism characteristics, but also serves as an example of the shift from Romanticism to Realism in literature. Mark Twain starts off this memoir by describing how he once saw the river. Judging from where he is from, it's a pretty safe bet to say that the river in question is the Mississippi River. Anyway, he starts off by saying that he once saw the river as breathtakingly beautiful. This is when he first moved to a location close to the river. He was in awe of the beauty of the sunset. He describes it in vivid detail and extols its beauty. He then goes on to say that the longer he lived there and worked on a steamboat, the less he saw the beauty of the water. He only saw how much it could tell him. "Then if that sunset scene had been repeated, I should have looked upon it, inwardly, after this fashion: This sun means that we are going to have wind tomorrow; that floating log means that the river is rising..." (Twain 505). He is looking at it in a more analytical way. This represents the shift from Romanticism to Realism. Previously, Romantic authors would have been hung up on how naturally beautiful the river was, like Twain was at the beginning of this story. Writers eventually began to look at things more practically, also drawing upon the old style of Rationalism. This whole memoir excerpt is basically a giant analogy for the shift in thought patterns and writing styles.

Realism and Regionalism are the main components of this work. Realism is present in the more analytical style of writing and the use of unembellished words. Fortunately, Realism is not as unadorned a writing style as Puritanism, but it is less flowery than Romanticism. Also a noteworthy characteristic of Realism that is present in "Two Views of the River" is the use of figurative language. Twain consistently compares his plight to that of a doctor. He no longer sees the beauty of the river, while a doctor cannot see the beauty of a woman for all the medical information running through his head. "Are not all her visible charms sown thick with what are to him the signs and symbols of hidden decay?" (Twain 505).

Regionalism is also present in "Two Views of the River". Twain describes the setting in great detail, both when he can still see the beauty and when he cannot. Both descriptions are very detailed in their respective ways. The setting is very important in a Regionalism work. The setting is so important that it can practically be considered its own character (Campbell). Twain draws particular attention to it, as it is the way he notices the changes in himself (Twain). The region he is in is also important. If he had not become a steamboat worker on the river, he would not have become immune to the beauty of that particular region. He also would not have been able to see its beauty in the first place. He ponders on whether it was worth it in the end.

Campbell, Donna M. "Regionalism and Local Color Fiction." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/lcolor.html.

Twain, Mark. From "Two Views of the River." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 504-505. Print.